When the snow flies, avid Canadian golfers head south on vacation

As the executive professional at the Carnmoney Golf Club in DeWinton, Alta., Patrick Coli pretty much lives and breathes golf each day during the summer months.

So you might think the last thing he would want to do once the snows flies is head south for a golf vacation in the United States.

Yet each winter for the past dozen years, that's just what he and a group of club members and fellow pros have done.

"By the middle of January, you're starting to get the itch again," he says, adding there is something particularly satisfying about golfing while people back home in Canada are shovelling snow.

Mr. Coli, who plans the group's trip and keeps the destination a secret until the other golfers show up at the airport, says a winter golf trip to the United States is a great way to break up the monotony of a long Canadian winter.

Some of the destinations at which they have golfed in recent years include Temecula, San Diego and Palm Springs in California, Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona, Orlando, Fla., and even Alabama.

"There's a lot of different places you can go, depending on how much you want to spend," he says.

Andrew Clark, managing director of Merit Golf Vacations, says the most popular U. S. destinations for winter golf depend on where people live in Canada.

Mr. Clark says people west of the Ontario border tend to book golf vacations to Arizona, California and, to a lesser extent, Nevada and Hawaii, while people in Central and Eastern Canada overwhelmingly choose Florida.

"Golf fits well within a travel type of mindset. And I think that a lot of golfers are avid enough that they're just not willing to hang (the clubs) up for six months at a time."

Mr. Clark says while the recent favourable exchange rate makes travelling to the United States more attractive, Merit hasn't seen a big jump in golf vacationers since many hard-core golfers were willing to travel even when the Canadian dollar was hovering in the low 60¢ range.

"We don't notice a volume difference, but maybe a length of stay difference. So instead of a three-or four-day (package), people will get a five-or six-day one."

He says there has definitely been a jump in the number of people who are including golf as one of the activities in a family vacation.

"People are finding ways to incorporate golf into a regular family holiday.

"In addition to the traditional guys' golf trip, where eight or 12 guys will go away every year, we're getting a lot of holidays for families with golf involved."

Henny Groenendijk, the Canadian public relations manager for Visit Florida, says golf is high on the list of activities that Canadians can enjoy on a winter vacation to the Sunshine State.

"It's a great golf destination. There are courses at the high end but also many, many public courses and (private) clubs where you can play as a guest. And it's all-year round."

Mr. Groenendijk says Florida has more than 1,000 golf courses in all regions of the state.

In northeast Florida alone there are literally dozens of courses, says John McElreath, vice president of Florida's First Coast of Golf, a tourism association representing many golf courses and resorts along a 200-kilometre stretch of coastline.

Mr. McElreath says the region is home to some world-class golf, such as Amelia Island Plantation with its numerous resort courses, and the Tournament Players Club Stadium course, better known as the TPC at Sawgrass.

The TPC is the site of one of golf's most famous holes, the island 17th that has spelled doom for many professional golfers competing in The Players Championship.

He says northeast Florida also has the World Golf Hall of Fame, "a great venue to go to for people that are really interested in golf and the history of golf throughout the world."

While Florida tops with Canadians in Ontario and east looking for a winter golf vacation, Arizona is perhaps best in the west and was voted the No. 1 golf destination in North America for 2007 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators.

Mary Rittman, director of trade and media relations with the Arizona Office of Tourism, says the state has more than 300 golf courses that are as diverse as its landscape.

"One could golf a different course every day and still take the weekends to enjoy many of Arizona's other wonders," Ms. Rittman says. She says most Canadian golfers arrive during the winter once snow and cold have put an end to their local golf season, and visitors have plenty to enjoy in addition to golf.

"Canadians also love Arizona for our shopping and cultural activities, the adventure, the tours and scenery and open-air lifestyle that can be enjoyed in the winter."